The only New Year’s Resolution you’ll ever need!

It’s New Year’s Eve again! When I was fifteen and an avid science fiction fan (still am) I couldn’t wait for 2015 to see what kind of technology we’d have. That is if I made it to 2015 of course. I figured I’d be lucky to live past 25… #SoOld

To keep me company as I write this blog and make my meme I just logged into my Spotify on my phone and streamed it to a 30 year old amp (it’s class) with an apple airport express plugged into it that I bought used on Ebay for €40.

Would 15 year old me even be able to read that sentence???

So here we are. And what a lot we have to be proud of as a human race. I came acrossthis videoby Chris Hadfield yesterday and thought wow yes, we are pretty impressive. (It’s worth watching).

The only thing I really don’t like about New Year’s Eve is the business of resolution making.

Last yearI posted a piece about keeping it simple and guilt free, this year on ajoint venturewith a colleague we wrote similarly, but more in-depth. Have a read – feedback welcome!

For this post, I’ll keep this short:

If you insist on a resolution bear these things in mind:

1: If it’s based in self love and acceptance it’s more likely to work.

Oh, hang on, that’s only one!

A resolution is a super idea if it’s for your physical good, if it’s kind to you, and if you are willing to allow mistakes and flexibility. Because you are human.

The two most common resolution I hear people talk about in therapy and socially are about smoking and dieting.

So are you ‘giving up’ smoking?

Is it for your physical good?Yes!Is it kind?Yes!Are you willing to allow mistakes?Ideally there’ll be none, but if you do have one, it does not mean you’ve failed and you’re back to square one until next NYE. It means you start again. With new resolve, because it’s still a resounding “yes” to no’s 1&2.

How about losing weight:

Is it for your physical good?Yes! (If you’re actually overweight and clinically need to lose weight).Is it kind?Yes! But only if it’s a health issue,notif it’s purely an abstinence diet that you found in a magazine on a bad hair day to drop-a-dress-size-get-a-bikini-body-by-June-cruelty regime that might affect your mood and lead you to feel guilty every time you eat.

Speaking of which:

Are you willing to make mistakes?You will probably make mistakes. This is OK. Train yourself to not catastrophise an extra bar of chocolate.Be kinderto you with your thoughts. Especially if you really, really love chocolate.

Let’s make it more attractive:

So stopping smoking, losing weight, drinking less, being less messy – These all sound so negative!

What if we re-framed: Be healthier, be more organized etc. Resolutions don’t have to be about giving things up or doing less of something we enjoy. They can be positive! Which brings us back to this:

If your resolution is based in self love and acceptance it’s more likely to work.

Here’s my ONE resolution:

This year I resolve to be kinder, in my actions and my thoughts, to myself.

That’s it! Simples!

(I took that pic during a walk downSaleen Creekyesterday. I highly recommend to anyone in or near Cork – glorious in the sunshine!)